Prevention-first hull maintenance
Subvision is building ZIMA, a hull-climbing subsea rover designed to prevent early-stage biofouling on commercial ship hulls. Instead of waiting for buildup and cleaning later, ZIMA is built to keep hulls cleaner through short, repeatable maintenance passes.
A one-minute look at ZIMA, how it moves across the hull, and why prevention matters more than reactive cleaning.
Funding sourced
Total funding sourced across public programs, institutional backing, and awards.
$32K
Ocean Startup Project support through Ocean Idea Challenge and Ocean Startup Challenge.
$5K
SFU Engineering Student Society support that helped back the team during early prototype development.
$3.5K
Supported by the Chang Institute in building the business behind the technology.
$1K
SFU OppFest prize support that added early validation and showcase visibility.
$3.5K
Leo Maddox Prize through the Environmental Innovation Challenge, recognizing the project's ocean and environmental relevance.
Why this matters
Hull condition is not just a maintenance issue. It affects vessel efficiency, coating life, emissions, and ecosystem risk at the same time. Subvision’s approach is to intervene early, so operators need less aggressive action later.
Our journey
The progression matters because it shows how the team works: build, test, learn, and tighten the system with each iteration.
First modular proof of concept used to shape the earliest underwater mobility and systems architecture.
Early in-water testing helped validate motion, integration, and what needed to change before scaling up.
Public CAD of the current ZIMA direction, showing the rover layout and treatment architecture.
Prototype assembly work translating the design into hull-scale hardware.
External support and public validation helped move the project from student build to venture-ready system.
Built in the open
The fastest way to understand Subvision is to see the rover being designed, built, and tested. Visible iteration helps partners judge technical maturity and gives the team a clearer path to pilots.
Each hardware generation improves both the rover and the clarity of the product.
ZIMA is being developed around real vessel maintenance needs, not a lab-only demo.
Programs, awards, and early supporters help accelerate validation and deployment conversations.
Partner conversations
Subvision is looking for technical collaborators, pilot partners, and operators who want a better path to keeping hulls clean over time.
